In December 2007, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and GAVI’s PneumoADIP collaborated with Chile’s Ministry of Health to hold a two day symposium devoted to laying a foundation for joint influenza and pneumococcal surveillance work in the Southern Cone of South America. This is a region that includes Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Approximately 85 people from nine countries attended this meeting. The conference focused on the burden of pneumococcal disease in the area, the efficacy (and cost-effectiveness) of vaccines, and the importance of disease surveillance in revealing, among other things, how pneumococcal serotypes can vary by both region and country.